Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Little Things In Life ❯ The Return of The Knucklehead!!! ( Chapter 10 )

Umm…wow. No comment on the horrendous amount of time it took for me to update. I PROMISE that any and all chapters that come after this one will be quicker. You can all thank Fishy Crackers for getting me off my sorry butt to write this one. Anyway, here's chapter 10. Hope you enjoy it!

 

Sasuke could be called many things. Depending on who you talked to, he could be described as deep, thoughtful and cool. Or, on the same token, could be considered a cold, heartless bastard, (though this frame of mind was usually exclusive to Naruto). But, in no one's definition of Sasuke could emotional be found. So, it could safely be assumed that anyone who came across the stoic Uchiha at the moment would be sufficiently shocked. There, somewhere deep within the recedes of the Uchiha manor, Sasuke threw a chair into the wall in a fit of rage. The piece of furniture shattered on impact, leaving mere splinters of wood scattered across the floor. Angrily rubbing his temples, Sasuke turned his attention towards a nearby window.

 

“Why… Why is he still bothering me!” the prodigy yelled to the air. “I beat him, I WON!” He slammed his fists angrily onto a table, the objects on top jumping into the air. Did you really win, Sasuke? His inner self cooed, or, had Naruto won before you challenged him? Suddenly, Sasuke's mind flashed back to the night Naruto had confronted him on the training grounds. “I hope you enjoy training alone, because sooner or later, that's all you're going to have left.” For whatever reason, something about the sentence struck a chord with Sasuke, made him think. “Is…is that what I really want? To be alone?” The raven haired boy set his back to the wall and slowly slid to the floor. “Maybe, the idiot was…right?” as ridiculous as it sounded, and as much as he DIDN'T want to admit it, Naruto had a point. All of his manipulation and brashness would catch up to him eventually, then he would have no one left. Sure, he could continue his quest for power, but would it really be worth it? His anger returning, Sasuke angrily hit the wall with a clenched fist. “God dammit Naruto, don't be such an idiot…it makes the smart ones question what they're doing.” Slowly, the Uchiha hoisted himself off the ground, and began to head for the door. A full day of training would get the idiot's ramblings out of his head.

 

(!!!!!)

 

Meanwhile, a one Sakura Haruno was having similar thoughts to her begrudged boyfriend. Quietly eating a bowl of Ichiraku ramen, which had become a regular practice of hers, the pink haired Kunoichi sifted through her many thoughts of a blond shinobi. Naruto, why did you have to go and complicate things? Everything was going fine, then you had to go and be all…appealing. She smiled lamely. You were always there, being a good friend to me, and I was always mean in return. Naruto Uzumaki, I swear if you come back, I'm going to give you the best hug you've ever gotten…then beat the tar out of you for making me worry so much. Suddenly, a familiar, enthusiastic voice reverberated through the small shop.

 

“Ah Sakura-san! I see that your youthfulness is still as radiant as ever!” giving the green clad boy a smile, Sakura motioned for the stool beside her.

 

“Hey Lee, have a seat.” With his usual zeal, Lee accepted the seat and turned his attention to Sakura.

 

“Sakura, I came with a question for you! Naruto's Youthful self had been missing for some time now. Do you know where he might have gone?” at the mention of Naruto, Sakura visibly slumped, shaking her head Sakura returned her gaze to Lee.

 

“Sorry Lee, I'm just as in the dark as you are. I miss him too, though.” Sensing her sadness, Konoha's green beast flashed one of his “nice guy” poses.

 

“Do not worry, Sakura! Naruto will come back, I am sure of it!” Sakura gave Lee a smile, thankful for his comforting words. Lee grinned at Sakura before pointing straight at her. “You know, you and Naruto are very much alike!” at the odd statement, the Kunoichi crooked and eyebrow. In all her years of knowing him, she had never been compared with her blonde teammate.

 

“Really, how do you figure?” she asked. Lee redirected his finder to his own eye.

 

“People may seem different at first glance, but you can always tell when two are alike by their eyes. When you see Naruto-san's eyes, they are brimming with youthfulness and love! You're eyes are the same way, Sakura-san!” Sakura looked curiously at her reflection in her ramen.

 

“My…eyes?” as she looked into her emerald colored eyes, she didn't notice anything different about them, they looked the same as they always did. Just as she was about to dismiss the statement as just another one of Lee's rambles, said ninja cut in.

 

“No Sakura-san, don't look at the eye! Look what's behind the eye!” looking closer, she strained to see what could possibly lay hidden behind her eyes. Then, all of a sudden, she saw it.

 

That light… she had seen that light before. She had seen it in Naruto's eyes, every time he looked at her, every time he trained, every time he did anything, that light was there. Then she remembered watching that light disappear from his eyes the night she told him she hated him. The image of her face became distorted as ripples formed in the broth from where her tear had fallen.

 

“Sakura-san, are you alright?” Lee asked, concerned. Quickly realizing that her friend was still next to her, Sakura brushed her eyes and smiled.

 

“Yeah Lee, I'm fine.” Slapping her money on the counter, Sakura rose from her seat. “I'll talk to you later; I've got to go work at the hospital.” Waving goodbye, Lee watched his friend exit the stand. Once she had gone, he turned his attention to the owner.

 

“Excuse me sir, but how much would you say Naruto Uzumaki eats here in one sitting?” Teuchi rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

 

“Oh I'd say, about 11 to 12 bowls. Crazy, huh?” Lee slammed his fist onto the counter, his usual fire burning in his eyes.

 

“Very well, then I must eat at least 15 Bowls! I will not lose!” Teuchi sweat dropped, before calling into the kitchen.

 

“Ayame, get out the extra noodles, we've got a Big order to fill!”

 

(!!!!!)

 

After a long day of working at the hospital, all Sakura wanted to do was go home and sleep. Though it wasn't a well known fact, hospital work was very demanding; especially when your boss could punch you through a wall. After clocking out, Sakura sluggishly left the hospital and trudged down the street; all that sounded appealing to her now was a nice long bath. In an attempt to avoid the imminent rush that would meet her on the main roads of the village, Sakura ducked into one of the back roads. Her footsteps echoed through the alleyway, the orange-tinted lights casting eerie shadows on the wall. Suddenly she stopped; her hairs were standing on end. Someone was there.

 

“Show yourself, you coward!” she challenged into the dark, hoping to coax her guest into showing himself. She didn't have to wait long, however, as a rather large man concealed by a hood stepped out of the shadows.

 

“Ah, a feisty one. I love the feisty ones.”

 

“Settle down, I get the first go, remember?” Sakura turned her attention to yet another man emerging from the shadows. To her growing horror, more men began to file out from the shadows until ten surrounded her. If she hadn't been working all day, Sakura would have seen her aggressors as nothing more than minor annoyances. In her current state, however, this situation would prove to be very difficult. Fumbling around in her leg pouch, Sakura desperately tried to find something to defend herself with, but to no avail. Working at the hospital rarely called for the use of kunai knives, so she had opted to fill her pouch with medicine instead. She noted that if she did get out of this, she would never leave home without weaponry again. The first man took another step closer to Sakura, gesturing to her with his finger.

 

“Come on girly, me and my friends just want to have a little fun.” The other men laughed in their deep, guttural tones, all taking another step forward. Soon, another one chimed in.

 

“Don't worry, we don't bite…hard.” They were getting within arms reach of her now. Any minute Sakura knew she would be at the mercy of these perverts. Reading herself to fight them off the best she could, Sakura took a fighting stance. The first man crooked his head to the side, a lecherous smile on his face.

 

“Come on now pinky, you really think you can take all of us at once?”

 

“Before any of you guys say something else pervy, BACK THE HELL OFF!!!” the new voice boomed throughout the alley, catching all of them off guard. Before the thugs could react, tendrils of sand shot every which way from out of the darkness. In a matter of seconds, all ten men were imprisoned in a cocoon of sand. Sakura simple stood in the middle of it all, completely awestruck. She was quickly snapped out of her daze as her savior flashed her the victory sign from a nearby rooftop.

 

“Hey Sakura-chan! Are you okay?” At first, Sakura thought it was an illusion. There was simply no way that Naruto could be right there in front of her, using sand jutsu no less. No, it had to be some other blond haired ninja from the Sand Village passing through. The Might-Be Naruto pumped his fists into the air, a large grin plastered to his face…before clumsily falling off the roof face first into the alley bellow. Never mind, that was her Naruto, alright. Coming to her senses, Sakura ran over to the orange and yellow heap.

 

“Naruto! Are you okay?” sitting up slowly rubbing his head, Naruto nodded.

 

“Sure Sakura, it was just a- OW!” The blonde shinobi yelled as Sakura gave him a forcible whack on the head. Crossing her arms angrily, Sakura glared at Naruto.

 

“Where in the hell were you, Naruto?! I was worried sick!!!” Naruto opened his mouth to respond; only to realize that Sakura's scolding was far from over. “You just up and leave us with only a note, then don't give us any updates on how you're doing?! Tsunade sent half the village out looking for you! And when you do come back you act like nothing happened? What were you THINKING?!?!” at the end of Sakura's rant, Naruto simply smiled and rubbed the back of his head.

 

“It's good to see you too, Sakura.” Hoisting himself off the ground, he held out his hand to Sakura. “I'm gonna go see Granny Tsunade right now, do you wanna come with?” The pink haired Kunoichi decided to put her anger at the boy on hold for awhile. After all, he had come back… and so had the light in his eyes. Sakura smiled lightly, accepting his hand. Sakura allowed Naruto to pull her off the ground leaving her standing on her own two feet.

 

“Thank you Naruto. Now, lets go see Tsunade.” at this, Naruto beamed. Even after his absence, being with Sakura still made him happy. The two teammates began to walk towards the Hokage Tower, when Naruto stopped suddenly. Turning around, he quickly remembered that he still had ten men at the mercy of his sand. Smiling first at Sakura then to the men, Naruto lifted his hand into the air.

 

“Alright, off to ANBU with you guys! Tell them Naruto Uzumaki sent you!” pointing a finger in the direction of the ANBU headquarters, the imprisoned thugs flew into the air, rocketing towards their destination. Sakura could only stand in awe of her friend, who had just sent ten full grown men flying across the air like scared birds. Snapping out of her awe-induced stupor, Sakura laughed lightly.

 

“Well, I'm guessing someone was at the Village Hidden in The Sand?” Naruto grinned widely, putting his hands behind his head.

 

“Yeah, Gaara taught me a few new jutsu. I even got some free ramen!” Naruto's expression darkening slightly, he added; “How's the bastard?” to his surprise, Naruto didn't receive a whack on the head for his verbal attack on the Uchiha boy. Instead, Sakura let out a haughty laugh.

 

“I haven't even seen him in a week. Some boyfriend.” Naruto balled his hands into fists and began to storm off.

 

“Where is he?! I swear I'll tear his arms off!” Sakura quickly put an end to Naruto's manhunt by firmly grabbing him by the collar and dragging him towards the Hokage's office.

 

“You can beat up Sasuke later, Naruto. First I think Tsunade would very much like to see you alive and well.” Naruto reluctantly agreed, knowing that the old lady would have QUITE a bit to say to him about running off. Sakura smiled to herself. She was happy to have her Naruto-kun back where he belonged. As they finally reached the Hokage Tower, Naruto groaned. Sakura gave him a reassuring pat on the back. “Don't worry Naruto,” she cooed. “I don't think she'll be that mad.”

 

(///////)

 

“I am absolutely FURIOUS with you, Naruto Uzumaki!!!” The Hokage screamed at the top of her lungs, her pet pig Tonton desperately trying to escape out of a nearby window. “For all intensive purposes, I should have you interrogated, to make sure you're not really some spy!” Naruto scoffed at her, closing his eyes.

 

“Chill out, Granny! I just went to visit the Kazekage!” Tsunade's brow twitched in irritation. Huh, Just as bratty and disrespectful as ever, she thought. No interrogation needed; that's definitely Naruto alright. The Sanin placed her hands on her hips, giving the other blonde a look of serious contempt.

 

“Even so, you are supposed to come to me and ask permission to leave the village! Regardless of your intentions, you acted recklessly. So, to ensure that you stay out of trouble, Sakura will be supervising you for the next week. Naruto began to object out of instinct, but soon realized what he had just been sentenced to. Slowly, he let his anger recede, then nodded.

 

“Alright, you win Granny.” From the back of the room Sakura smiled.

 

“Don't think that I'll go easy on you, Naruto! I'll be keeping a close eye on you.” There might have to be a strip search, just in case! Her inner self chimed in. Ignoring her inner self's chiding, Sakura walked up behind the blonde and put a forceful hand on his shoulder. “I'll make sure he stays in Konoha, Tsunade-sensei.” The Hokage gave her apprentice a nod off approval before dismissing the two of them. As they left her office, she finally let herself smile.

 

“Thank you for coming back, Naruto. We all missed you.” Tsunade turned to address the thumping noise coming from her closet. Soon, the muffled voice of Jiraiya came from behind the door.

 

“Tsunade, are they gone yet?” laughing slightly at the spectacle, the Hokage responded.

 

“Yes, they're gone, you old pervert. You can come out now.” Almost immediately, Jiraiya emerged from the closet, a pair of fuzzy handcuffs twirling around a finger.

 

“Now,” he asked seductively. “Where were we?” ::WARNING; DUE TO THE GRAPHIC NATURE OF THE FOLLOWING CONTENT, WE WILL BE FOLLOWING NARUTO AND SAKURA INSTEAD. THAT IS ALL::

 

Naruto and Sakura walked down the street, the moon's luminescent glow lighting their way. As she walked, Sakura stared up at the stars littering the night sky. Then, she turned her gaze to the boy next to her. Inside, her persona was yelling louder than ever. Come on! Ask him on the date now! It's so perfect!!! As much as she hated to admit it, her inner self had a point. It was the perfect atmosphere, and she could very well let Ino have something to hold over her, could she? Taking a minute to steady her nerves, Sakura casually moved closer to Naruto.

 

“So Naruto,” she started, “Seeing as how I'm watching over you for the next week, we should probably talk about your trip.” Naruto nodded slowly, still oblivious to Sakura's advance.

 

“Alright, it started out when-” Sakura rolled her eyes. Naruto could be so dense sometimes.

 

“I meant over dinner, Naruto. We could make it…a date.” Naruto's eyes widened to the size of saucers and dawned the biggest grin he could muster.

 

“Okay! Sure Sakura! Awesome!” Sakura giggled at his enthusiasm.

 

“Alright, pick me up tomorrow at seven!” she called as the headed towards her home. Naruto nodded vigorously as he waved goodbye. “See you then, Naruto-Kun!” even from down the street; Sakura could see Naruto's face turn bright red at having “kun” added to his name. As Sakura neared her home, she noticed a figure standing on her porch. As she drew closer, she was surprised to find that it was Sasuke. Slowing her pace, she came to a stop right in front of her `boyfriend', and shot him and irritated look. “Nice of you to show your face, for once.” She scoffed. Making her way towards her door, she added; “Naruto came back. I'm going on a date with him tomorrow night.” Sasuke's fists clenched as he turned to glare at Sakura.

 

“What?! Why didn't you ask me about this earlier?” Sakura stood, unafraid of the Uchiha. After a short moment of staring, she replied.

 

“You know, you and I are really different; I don't see anything in your eyes.” not waiting for his response, Sakura walked into her house, shutting the door behind her. Sasuke stood there for a moment before angrily punching the wall.

 

“Naruto…”

 

 

 

 

Ooooohhhhh! Sasuke just got OWNED! BOOYA!!! Anyway, Sorry again for the long update time. From now on, they'll be faster. Next chapter: The Uchiha's heart grows ten sizes this day!!!! (Name that reference)